Arline Newman with daughters Frances, Elaine, and Shirley - circa 1926
Welcome to Our Ancestors, a website for the descendants of the Newmans and Friedmans of the San Francisco Bay Area. Many of our forebears lived in the 19th century cities and towns of the Jewish Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire or in Jewish enclaves of Central Europe. They left the Old World, traveling halfway around the world to start new lives in America. In this website you’ll find books, articles, family photos, maps and family trees of your Newmans and Friedmans. In addition, we’ve added short stories and a family tree of our beloved Leonards. Just click on the family name in the menu above and enjoy exploring.